Kitty groaned as a ringing sound pierced her head. She gently nuzzled the pillow, trying her hardest to block it out and get back to a peaceful slumber.

"Kitty, your phone!" Marley's voice broke through the ringing, causing her to jolt up.

"It's Mary!" Kitty gasped, her stomach becoming a tangle of knots.

"The child protective lady?" Marley exclaimed. "Quickly, you should answer it!"

Kitty nodded faintly as she pressed on her phone to answer the call.

"Hello?" She knew her voice was shaking, and that she was trembling like a leaf. Marley gently took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Kitty dear, is that you?" Mary asked.

Kitty nodded, before rolling her eyes and squeaking out a 'yes'.

"We've done a thorough evaluation of your parents over the last day and have found that they're unfit parents."

Tears filled Kitties eyes at this as she buried her head in Marley's neck. Marley gently rubbed her back until she gained her composure back slightly.

"So I never have to live with them again?" Kitty managed to stutter out.

"Yes dear," Mary reassured, "everything is going to be okay now!"

This caused a new bout of tears to begin rolling down her cheeks.

"That's amazing news!" Marley whispered in her ear. "I'm so happy you don't have to be with those horrible people ever again!"

"Me too," Kitty muttered out with a sob and a hiccup. "Me too."

"So what happens now?" Kitty eventually muttered, trying to blink away her slowing tears.

"We'll be perusing your parents for child neglect, as well as finding you a nice new place to live!" Mary's overly cheery voice had never sounded as amazing to Kitty as it did right then.

"Thank you!" Was all she could say, finally allowing a genuine grin to appear on her face. "Thank you so much.

"I will need to talk to you about testifying against them at some point, but for now I just wanted to pass on the news that you're safe from those Monsters." Mary added. "Please have a nice day Kitty."

"I will," Kitty assured her, her voice now firm and bold.

Marley let out a squeak of excitement as Mary hung up. "Kitty I'm so so happy for you."

Kitty nodded, her face lighting up. "For once, I'm kind of happy for me too."

Both girl's beamed at each other, still holding hands as they once again lay down.

"So…" Marley finally whispered once the shock of what had happened calmed down. "Do you remember what you said last night?"

Kitty blushed and with a slight giggle muttered "yeah."

"Well your parents certainly aren't stopping you from doing anything now!" Marley blurted out, her cheeks reddening.

"Very true," Kitty rose an eyebrow, her cheerleader confidence suddenly reappearing. "And I do have to thank you for being so kind to me during this time, even when I was a bit of a bitch."

"It was nothing!" Marley insisted, her face reddening further.

Kitty gently cupped her face. "It certainly was not nothing. Plus, I think you'll like my thanks."

Kitty gently leaned forward, whispering 'can I kiss you?' as she got closer. Marley nodded as Kitty's lips touched hers and they tenderly kissed.

"I think I need you to thank me more often!" Marley asserted when they broke apart.

"That can definitely be arranged!" Kitty added. "But for now, let's go and celebrate that I'm free!"

Kitty grinned as she waved goodbye to her foster parents, making sure to prove that she did indeed have the homemade lunch they'd packed for her as she ran towards the entrance to William McKinley High.

Marley was waiting for her as she got there and they quickly locked hands before walking inside. A lot had changed for Kitty over the past few weeks. Her parents had been charged, she'd moved in with a foster family, which was daunting at first, but she'd soon found out that they were super lovely and caring.

She was still cheerleading, and enjoying it a lot more with the encouragement of her new parents instead of the constant criticism of her biological ones. Plus, the fact that Marley would often come and watch made her feel really special.

Most of all, she and Marley had gotten a lot closer, in many different ways. Kitty had never enjoyed being in a relationship before this, but Marley was a whole other experience. Finally, life was good!

Hi everyone, sorry for the (really reeeeeally long) delay of getting the final chapter out! I hope you enjoyed reading this story! A big thanks to everyone who has read to the end and stuck with it all these years - username-not-taken